Her career began accidentally in 1959 when she replaced her sister at the last minute in a French radio talent contest Naissance d'une étoile and won. Director Louis Malle then cast the young starlet in the film he was shooting at the time, Liberté, a project he finally abandonded, making Laforêt's first appearance on screen opposite actor Alain Delon in René Clément's 1960 drama Plein Soleil.
After this film she became very popular and interpreted many roles in the 1960s. She married director Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, who cast her in some of his own works, including La Fille aux Yeux d'Or (The Girl with the Golden Eyes), based on the Balzac story, which would become her nickname.
In her second film, Saint Tropez Blues, accompanied by a young Jacques Higelin at the guitar, she sang the title song and immediately started releasing singles, her first hit being 1963's Les Vendanges de l'Amour. Her songs offered a more mature, poetic, tender alternative to the light, teenage yé-yé tunes charting in France at the time. Her melodies borrowed more from exotic folk music, especially South American and Eastern European, than from contemporary American and British pop acts. Laforêt worked with many important French composers,musicians and lyricists, such as André Popp and Pierre Cour, who provided her with a panoply of colorful, sophisticated orchestral arrangements, featuring dozens of musical instruments and creating a variety of sounds, sometimes almost Medieval, Rennaissance or Baroque, other times quite modern and innovative.
At the end of the 1960s, Marie had become a rather unique figure in the French pop scene. Her music stood out, perhaps too much for her new label CBS Records, which expected of her more upbeat, simpler songs. She was interested in making more personal records, but finally gave in. Although her most financially successful singles (Viens, Viens, a cover of a British hit, and Il a neigé sur Yesterday, a ballad about the break-up of the Beatles) were released in the 1970s, Marie progressively lost interest in her singing career, moving to Geneva, Switzerland in 1978, where she opened an art gallery and abandoned music more or less altogether.
In the 1980s, Marie concentrated on her acting career, appearing in a few French and Italian films. Some music singles were eventually released, but were not popular. She made a comeback, however, in 1993 with an album (her last) for which she wrote the lyrics. In the 1990s, she again continued to work as an actress, both on screen and on stage. She has performed in a number of plays in Paris over the years, acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. In September 2005 she took the stage of Les Bouffes Parisiens for a two-weeks sold-out concerts, her first (and last) concerts since 1972. Laforêt moved to Geneva in 1978 and obtained Swiss citizenship.
Records
Marie Laforêt, the folk singer
Laforêt has been fond of folk music ever since she began recording in the early 1960s. She helped popularize the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' in the Wind" in France with her 1963 interpretation. On the B-side of the same EP she sings the classic American folk ballad "House of the Rising Sun". Other folk recordings include: "Viens sur la montagne", a 1964 French adaptation of the African-American spiritual "Go Tell It on the Mountain", recorded by American folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary the previous year, "Coule doux" (Hush-a-Bye), another Peter, Paul and Mary song, 1966's "Sur les chemins des Andes", a French version of the traditional Peruvian song "El Cóndor Pasa", and "La voix du silence", a 1966 cover of American duo Simon and Garfunkel's first hit, "The Sound of Silence".
Marie Laforêt, the rocker
She also recorded some rock songs in the 1960s, her most famous being "Marie-douceur, Marie-colère", a 1966 cover of the Rolling Stones hit "Paint It Black". Another popular recording was 1965's girl group-style "A demain, my darling", known by English-speakers as "The Sha La La Song" written by Marianne Faithfull on her debut eponymous album.
Marie Laforêt, the pop singer
Some of her most memorable pop songs are those written or arranged by French composer André Popp, such as "Entre toi et moi", "L'amour en fleurs", "Les noces de campagne", "Mon amour, mon ami", and "Manchester et Liverpool". The melody of the latter song gained fame in the former Soviet Union as the background music to the Vremya television news programme's weather forecast in the 1970s.[7]
Other important records
The quiet, bittersweet and minimally arranged ballad "Je voudrais tant que tu comprennes" (1966), composed by Francis Lai, is a Marie Laforêt favorite. Homage was paid to the song in the 1980s when French pop superstar Mylène Farmer added it to her own concert repertoire.
The 1973 hit "Viens, viens" was a cover version of a German song "Rain, Rain, Rain" performed by Simon Butterfly.
Marie's 1977 hit "Il a neigé sur Yesterday", perhaps her most well-known recording, was penned by musician Jean-Claude Petit, and lyricist Michel Jourdan, (famous for his work with Dalida, Nana Mouskouri, Michel Fugain and Mike Brant) and who had written the words for earlier Laforêt songs, such as "Les vendanges de l'amour" and "L'orage".
Qu'Est Ce Qui Fait Pleurer Les Filles
Marie Laforêt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Tu n'as que 20 ans
Et j'en ai presque autant
Près de toi j'ai appris
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
Mais tu n'y vois rien
Tu joues les bons copains
Ça compliquerait ta vie
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
Je ne peux pas m'en prendre à toi
De ce qui m'arrive là
C'est bien ma faute si je sursaute
Quand tu me sonnes au téléphone
Oui, toi tu joues ton jeu
Tu as ce que tu veux
Mais tu n'as pas compris
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Attention, j'ai l'impression
Qu'un jour je me lasserai
Et ce jour-là, ne t'étonne pas
S'il n'y a personne au téléphone
Oui, plus je réfléchis
Et plus je me redis
Qu'il faut t'apprendre aussi
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
The song "Qu'Est Ce Qui Fait Pleurer Les Filles" by Marie Laforêt is a poignant ballad about unrequited love and the pain it can inflict upon someone. The lyrics tell the story of a young woman who has fallen in love with a man who is only interested in being friends. Despite her efforts to make him understand her feelings, he remains oblivious, leading her to feel frustrated and heartbroken. The girl acknowledges that her situation is her own fault, but cannot help her strong emotions. She warns the man that one day she may tire of waiting for him and move on, leaving him alone. The chorus, "Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey," is a repetitive and catchy expression of the girl's anguish.
One of the most striking aspects of this song is Laforêt's hauntingly beautiful voice. She conveys both the girl's sadness and her frustration with incredible emotion, making the listener really feel her pain. The simple instrumentation of the song - just a guitar and a few other instruments - adds to its intimate and heartfelt quality.
Interestingly, the lyrics of "Qu'Est Ce Qui Fait Pleurer Les Filles" were written by a man, Michel Rivegauche, who also wrote some of France's most popular hits of the 1960s, including "Clothilde" and "Les Sucettes". The music was composed by André Popp, a well-known composer and arranger who worked with many famous French singers.
Like many of Laforêt's songs, "Qu'Est Ce Qui Fait Pleurer Les Filles" became a hit in France and abroad. It was one of her most popular songs during the 1960s and continues to be a beloved classic today. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including Dusty Springfield and Françoise Hardy.
Line by Line Meaning
Ay ay ay shoubidoubi doumdey
Refrain of the song, has no direct translation but conveys a sense of longing and melancholy.
Tu n'as que 20 ans
You're only 20 years old.
Et j'en ai presque autant
And I'm almost the same age as you.
Près de toi j'ai appris
Being close to you, I've learned.
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
What makes girls cry.
Mais tu n'y vois rien
But you don't see it.
Tu joues les bons copains
You pretend to be a good friend.
Ça compliquerait ta vie
It would complicate your life.
Je ne peux pas m'en prendre à toi
I can't blame you.
De ce qui m'arrive là
For what's happening to me.
C'est bien ma faute si je sursaute
It's my own fault if I jump.
Quand tu me sonnes au téléphone
When you call me on the phone.
Oui, toi tu joues ton jeu
Yes, you play your game.
Tu as ce que tu veux
You get what you want.
Mais tu n'as pas compris
But you haven't understood.
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
What makes girls cry.
Attention, j'ai l'impression
Be careful, I have the feeling.
Qu'un jour je me lasserai
That one day I'll get tired.
Et ce jour-là, ne t'étonne pas
And on that day, don't be surprised.
S'il n'y a personne au téléphone
If there's no one on the phone.
Oui, plus je réfléchis
Yes, the more I think.
Et plus je me redis
And the more I tell myself.
Qu'il faut t'apprendre aussi
That I need to teach you too.
Ce qui fait pleurer les filles
What makes girls cry.
Contributed by Joshua J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.